


playing cupid for a friend

by r4m3nlvr



Series: senses and other peculiarities [2]
Category: SB19 (Band)
Genre: Barista!Josh, Baristas, Coffee Shops, Fluff, Ken being Ken, Ken is the only straight man in this story, M/M, Matchmaking, Multi, Playing Cupid, Romance, Trying hard to write comedy but failed, Two-Shot, Unrequited Love?, barista!Sejun, barista!Stell, lighthearted fluff, nonverbal!justin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r4m3nlvr/pseuds/r4m3nlvr
Summary: (a spinoff to saying ‘hello’ in sign language)Justin just wants Stell to be happy, so he tries to set him up with Sejun. Things don’t always go according to plan, however, and their matchmaking game turns into a disaster! How does Justin remedy the situation—all the while gaining enough courage to be more forthright with his feelings for Josh?
Relationships: Josh Cullen Santos/Justin De Dios, Joshtin - Relationship, Justin De Dios/Felip Jhon "Ken" Suson, Ken is in a relationship with himself, KenTin friendship, Stelljun - Relationship, Stellvester "Stell" Ajero/John Paulo Nase | Sejun
Series: senses and other peculiarities [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821775
Comments: 13
Kudos: 33





	1. playing cupid for a friend

**Author's Note:**

> you may want to read ‘saying ‘hello’ in sign language’ to get a feel of how this story is set up. 
> 
> Link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24125845

# ***

When Justin found out, it was closing time at the café.

He and Josh were sitting at their favorite corner booth. Josh had his head in his books, biting at the cap of his pen. His bushy eyebrows met in the middle as he concentrated over whatever was written on his three-inch book.

Across him, Justin sat with a small smile plastered on his face as he continued to scribble over his sketchbook. He tried to imitate the lovely shades and angles Josh had under the dim fluorescent light, but the graphite failed to capture how exquisitely handsome the young man was.

Since the ambush confession they had a few months back, the two of them unconsciously started seeking each other’s company. They had not gone any further than holding hands and a few very rare hugs, but Justin treasured every moment.

“You’ve been staring. Are you okay, Jah?” Josh asked him. His hands moved in slow but sure motions to sign ‘Are you okay’. Justin melted just a little bit.

_‘I am’_ , he nodded.

“You’ve been quite busy over there. Can I take a look?” He pointed to Justin’s sketchpad, which the latter had always kept him from looking into.

Justin pressed the small softbound notebook to his chest and smiled, teasing. Then, he formed a fist with his thumb sticking out. Bringing it to his mouth, Justin tapped the back of his thumb twice to his lips.

Josh squinted his eyes at him, but he smirked. “I know that sign. You’re saying it’s a secret?” Justin kept smiling.

The barista chuckled before reaching out and pulling Justin’s cheek. This earned him a squeal from the young man.

“Cute,” he said.

Justin could feel the blood go up to his face like a rushing wave. Josh never held back from telling him how he felt, and he was always the one to initiate touch. Justin can only react, too shy to ever do anything on his own.

He wished there were some way he could tell Josh exactly how he felt about him, but Justin felt ‘I like you’ was too simple, too shallow. And he didn’t have enough experience to get the message across.

Josh leaned back on his chair and stretched his back. Then he closed his book and gave Justin a warm smile.

“Come on. I need to get home and study the rest.”

_‘Busy?’_ Justin signed.

“Yeah… Finals and my term paper deadlines are coming up,” Josh said. “I might have to find someone to take my place as barista here for a little while.”

Justin must have donned a sad expression because Josh immediately said, “Don’t worry. You’ll still see me. You can come by our place anytime.”

He smiled. Then, Josh leaned over to him and messed up his hair.

“Why don’t we go and have dinner there now? Stell would be home late since he’s got somewhere else to be. Let me just go get him, then we can leave.”

Justin enthusiastically pointed to himself.

“You… Ah, you want to tell Stell?” Josh asked, to which Justin nodded, still smiling. “Hm… Alright… Just get him back here so I can talk to him.”

Unlike most people who knew Justin was non-verbal, Josh let him do tasks. It was one of the things Justin liked about him: Justin can practice a little bit of independence around him. The brunette was still smiling as he slowly stood up and quietly walked to the staff room for Stell.

That was when he found out.

When Justin opened the door to the staff room, Stell was leaning over a sleeping Sejun to plant a kiss at the back of his head. Shocked and embarrassed at the scene he walked in on, Justin stood rooted on his spot at the door.

Stell’s head turned so quickly, Justin though he heard his neck snap. His eyes were menacing and made Justin feel like he had just uncovered a well-kept secret.

The two stared at each other for a second. Only Sejun’s quiet breathing could be heard in the silence between them.

Justin raised his hand and signed to Stell, ‘ _You like him_?’

Stell’s gaze fell, a sad smile appearing on his face as he looked at the sleeping man on the lone desk of the staff room.

He nodded. Then, Stell raised his index finger to his lips and did a shushing motion at Justin. “Don’t tell,” he whispered.

Justin couldn’t forget the face he made. It was so sad that Justin’s heart broke for him. Why did Stell look so fragile then? As if there was an entire melodrama behind those sad eyes that he was hiding.

But Stell didn’t let Justin ask any more questions. He just walked towards his quiet friend, putting an arm around him, and closing the door behind them as they walked out.

Stell’s forlorn expression quickly turned into a confident and teasing smirk the moment the door clicked shut.

“Alright, who’s ready to close up?”

No, he did not let Justin ask.

* * *

Justin could still remember the day Stell messaged him to come by the café because his ‘favorite barista’ was on duty.

“We’ll be on closing duty tonight,” came Stell’s exact text to him. “I’m sure you miss him after his short absence due to exams? 😘 ”

Excited at the thought of seeing the kind-looking barista named ‘Josh Cullen’ who couldn’t approach him at the music store, Justin dashed out of his house to the café. That was also the same night that Josh had told Justin he liked him.

In a way, Stell could be credited for Josh’s confession. Stell could also be credited for Justin’s social circle, because the barista had always been accommodating of Justin’s peculiarity. He never made him feel left out and was even the one to introduce Justin to a few other friends.

If Justin could speak, he would only have good things and gratitude to say to Stell. So it was a little sad that Justin couldn’t do something for him. Particularly, about his feelings for Sejun.

“Why don’t you tell him how you feel?” Justin had asked him though text that same night.

Stell replied with a single ‘😊’, before typing, “I tried getting a feel of him but he’s not interested, I think. I’ve been lowkey asking about his preferences on love and sex and stuff but he totally shuts me down at every turn 😅”

“I’m sorry,” Justin replied.

“No worries 😉 not everyone gets what they want in life. I’m happy just working with him.”

But Justin was _not_ happy; not with the sadness that marred Stell’s otherwise bright features. Justin could not unsee that expression. He wanted to give Stell the same happiness the barista had afforded to him. Sure, Josh was hardly his boyfriend; but he and Justin had a mutual understanding. They both liked each other, and Josh made sure to tell him that every now and then.

Stell did not deserve to be on the giving end of unrequited love, he decided. But what could Justin do about the situation?

“ _Boo_!”

Justin let out a strangled yelp, his heart jumping in his ribcage at the sudden loud noise. He turned to see that Ken was cackling behind him on the couch. His childhood friend had the shallowest and most childish joys and it made Justin wonder if he wasn’t really a ten-year-old trapped in a young man’s body.

He scowled.

“Too serious, Jah!” Ken teased him, ruffling his brown locks. “You’ll give yourself wrinkles.”

_‘You’re annoying_ ,’ he signed, mouth opening widely to get his point across. ‘ _I was thinking about something_.’

“Oh, yeah? What about?” Ken sat across him on the opposite couch, a huge mug of coffee in hand.

‘ _How do you properly confess to someone_?’

Ken gave him a disgusted look. “Oh, yuck. Please don’t tell me this is about your _not-boyfriend_.”

Justin shook his head aggressively and blushed. ‘ _It’s not about me, idiot_!’

“Hm…” he hummed, taking a sip of his hot drink. “If it’s not you… ah, it’s Stell, isn’t it?”

The brunette did not reply and just stared in wide-eyed shock at Ken.

“It’s not _actually_ that hard to guess,” Ken told him, rolling his eyes. “I can count the number of friends you have with one hand and still have fingers left over.”

That statement would have been offensive if it wasn’t true. Justin sighed. _‘He’s in love with Sejun_.’

“Well, it’s kinda obvious, right? If you look at the signs, they all say that Stell’s got the hots for the weird guy.”

Justin nodded at him. ‘ _But Sejun doesn’t like him back. I wish I could do something for him_.’

“By doing what? Playing cupid, like he did to you?” Ken bobbed his eyebrows to tease Justin again.

Justin pouted at him. ‘ _I just want to help_.’

“Sure, sure,” said Ken, placing his mug on the coffee table and waving his hand dismissively. “Because _you’ve_ been able to tell that barista you like him, too.”

‘ _His name is Josh_.’

“Psssh, _whatever_.” Ken lay on his back, but his eyes remained on Justin. “All I’m saying is that you may not be the best person to help when you’ve been struggling to tell your _not-boyfriend_ that you like him.”

‘ _Why_? _Do you think you can do better_?’ Justin asked him, then stuck his tongue out.

“I’ll have you know that I am totally capable of flirting,” he said. “And I’m at least a better cupid than you.”

Justin’s eyes widened in realization. It was true that Ken has had women swooning over him even if all he did was breathe. His friend has had a string of lovers in the past, albeit all girls; and he seemed to be the kind of guy who could successfully pull some strings to get two people together.

Justin scrambled off his seat to kneel beside Ken. ‘ _Help me help Stell_!’ he frantically signed. He put both his hands on Ken’s arm and shook him. ‘ _You can do that, right_?’

“Hm… Let me think…”

Justin groaned loudly at him.

“Alright, alright! _Yeesh_!” Ken complained. He turned on his side to face Justin. “Okay, so here’s what we’re gonna do…”

Ken laid out his plans. Justin just sat on the floor, listening. Ken’s ideas weren’t half bad. It would take a little bit of preparation, but it was possible with a little effort. And by the end of the conversation, Justin’s hope to help Stell found a bit of light.

_This could work_!

At least, that was what he liked to think.

* * *

Over the next few days, Justin and Ken put their plan into action. They had, they thought, planned everything out to the littlest details. Ken had arrogantly said that his plans were fool proof. Justin was almost impressed.

Almost.

But, like most everything Justin did, his efforts seemed to backfire.

Their first plan was to leave signed messages for Sejun on unused napkins. They had prepared several to be left around the café, all signed under the name of an anonymous admirer ‘S’. Luckily, when they began their plan, Sejun was on duty and Stell was not. Sejun had his back turned to the register to prepare drinks.

Ken stealthily stepped to the counter to leave a napkin saying ‘Hi, you’re cute. Date? –S” before bolting back to his and Justin’s seat. When Sejun turn back around, he glanced at the napkin and reading the writing on it. They were so sure he would smile or look around for the mysterious messenger, but Sejun only crumpled the napkin and threw it inside the wastebasket that was hidden under the counter.

It was like a premonition. Sejun had ignored the rest of the napkins that they left behind for the rest of the day. Each one ended up in the trash.

* * *

The next time they tried their operation, both Stell and Sejun were working. Justin and Ken had bought an expensive bento box for two. They planned on having Stell and Sejun share it over their lunch break.

It was the perfect plan, they thought. They left the box inside the staff room when both the baristas were busy at the counter. The sudden influx of customers helped their mission. They left it on the sole table inside with the note, ‘Bento for Two ❤️’.

Coincidentally, Josh had also come in for the afternoon shift. He came into the café all dazzles and charm, smiling widely the moment he saw Justin.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“None of your business,” Ken said, dismissing him.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Josh turned to Justin, his edginess softening. “Have you had lunch yet?”

Justin nodded meekly at him, suddenly forgetting what they were doing in the first place.

“Oh, too bad. I’ll eat my lunch first. My shift starts in a little while.”

Justin nodded. Ken pretended to vomit. Josh just rolled his eyes at Justin’s friend who, for some reason, he never got along with. Then, he went inside the staff room.

A few moments later, Josh peeked his head out of the door and called for Stell.

“Hey, Stell? Dre?”

“ _Yap_?” Stell called in the middle of preparing the orders.

“Can I have some of this food on the table?”

Stell gave a distracted and dismissive, “Sure thing!” before getting back to his task.

Justin and Ken looked at each other with wide eyes before slowly getting up from their seats. As soon as they were hidden behind the corner, they swiftly opened the door to the staff room. There, Josh sat on the table, already digging into the bento box and pleasantly smiling when he saw Justin.

“Hey… Do you wanna join me?”

Josh’s smile was one of the most enticing things Justin had ever seen. It always gave him a little flutter in his chest. Already forgetting what he had been doing for Stell, Justin nodded and walked towards Josh. Ken just threw his hands in the air muttering about ‘hopeless romantic fools’.

Their second plan had failed, too.

* * *

Their subtle plans to get Stell and Sejun together were not working, so by the third try, Ken and Justin decided to be more straightforward. The two of them ordered a huge bouquet of sunflowers littered with baby’s breath and chamomiles—flowers that were as bright and lively as Stell. They put in a card with the note ‘Sejun: Date? –Stell’ and asked for it to be delivered to the café.

On the day they set their plan to motion, Sejun was manning the counter with Josh while Stell was stocking up their supplies at the back. Ken and Justin sat at a table beside the cash register to get a clearer view. They knew their flowers would be delivered in a little bit, so they waited over some coffee.

They were expectant, and Sejun gave them several suspicious glances out of the corner of his eye.

A few minutes later, the café’s doorbell rang. The few customers that afternoon all stared as the flower shop delivery boy arrived carrying a large and impressive bouquet that was yellow and white held together by baby pink wrapping.

Justin felt proud and giddy with just how pretty the bouquet looked.

“Is there a Mister Sejun here? A Mister Sejun.”

“That would be me— _woah_! What is that?” The shock in Sejun’s voice was apparent, and his usually stoic expression turned into one of genuine surprise.

“I have a delivery of flowers for you,” the young delivery boy said with a smile.

Some curious customers, even Josh, all smiled and started chattering while looking at Sejun. The barista, on the other hand, was just frozen in shock as the flowers were handed to him. Justin and Ken held back proud smiles, elbowing each other.

“Ey, what do you know, Sejun?” Josh teased him. “Looks like you’ve got an admirer!”

Sejun grimaced at the bouquet. He held it away from himself—and in a few short moments started to sneeze. Sejun put the bouquet down, still sneezing until his eyes watered.

Josh frantically put an arm around his colleague. “He-Hey! You okay?”

“I’m—” Sejun sniffed, “—actually sensitive to pollen.”

“Oh, snap. _Really_?!”

“Yeah, I—” he sneezed again, “—let me just clear my nose for a bit. And… can you throw that thing away, please?”

“Sure, man,” Josh said as he watched Sejun walk away.

Sejun left, leaving Josh with the bouquet. He stared at it for a second, inspecting the delivery. Justin’s heart jumped when he flipped the card over and read its content.

His eyes widened before he looked up, catching a glimpse of Justin and Ken’s guilty faces.

“Wait… Did you guys have anything to do with this?”

Neither of them said anything.

“Does Stell know you’re doing this?”

This time, Justin found the will to shake his head.

“Oh, boy…” he said. “I don’t know what you guys are up to, but I don’t think Stell would appreciate you doing this behind his back.”

He sighed.

_I only wanted to help_ , thought Justin. He looked away, not wanting to see Josh disappointed at him. Perhaps they _have_ gone overboard forcing things.

Justin lifted his gaze when Josh approached and pat him on the head. “Hey, don’t feel too bad… Sejun is nice, I’m sure he’ll get over it. But you’ll have to stop it with the tricks, alright?”

Justin flashed him a tentative smile which made Josh smile in return. He nodded.

“Well, let me just throw this out back so Stell doesn’t find it. Man the counter for me for a bit?”

The two of them nodded again. Then, Josh left the café through the main door.

Ken elbowed Justin again. “I still don’t like him… but… he’s pretty cool.”

Justin could only nod.

* * *

Because of the delivery disaster, Ken and Justin realized that they should probably stop meddling for the time being. Not only was Sejun getting more wary of every time they visited the café, Josh had also put his foot down on their antics.

“If Stell wanted to tell Sejun anything, he will,” Josh said to them one time. “So I don’t think you should get ahead of him like this.”

Justin could never say ‘no’ when Josh asked nicely. Ken didn’t even bother making a counterargument because he knew Josh was right. So, for the time being, the two of them sat at their table beside the cash register, playing mobile games. Justin was waiting for Josh to arrive from the university so they could have dinner together. Ken, on the other hand, insisted that he tag along.

It was then that both Sejun and Stell entered the staff room, and Ken suddenly looked like he had a bright idea.

“Jah! Jah!” he whispered. He looked around, pleased to see that there were no customers even if it was only five thirty in the afternoon.

Justin looked up from his game.

“They’re _in_ the staff room.”

‘ _So_?’ Justin cocked his eyebrow.

“They could totally, like—they could have a heart to heart talk!”

Ken was already standing up and hurriedly making his way to the staff room.

Justin grabbed his arm. ‘ _What are you doing_?’ he signed.

“Trust me,” Ken replied, doing the motions with his hands.

The brunette watched his friend approach the staff room door and grab the handle, pulling it with all his might. Justin didn’t get what he was doing. He was just standing there with his legs apart and his hips down for some leverage, gripping the handle tightly.

Justin was about to question Ken’s sanity and intelligence when he heard Sejun’s muffled shout from inside the staff room.

“Uhm, hello? Is anybody out there?”

Ken gave a smirk, still pulling the door shut despite the force that tried to open it from the other side.

“Hey, whoever is out there, this isn’t funny!” yelled Stell.

“Let us out!” cried Sejun.

“Jah! Jah!” Ken looked at him excitedly. “Turn the lights off,” he said and pointed with his puckered lips to the light switch beside door.

Justin gave him a look. ‘ _Why_?’ he asked.

“So it’s more intimate that way…!” Someone pulled a little too strong, and Ken almost lost his grip. He shifted his stance and held on.

‘ _Ken, I don’t think this is a good idea_!’

“You wanted to help Stell, didn’t you?”

‘ _Not like this_!’ Justin’s hands moved frantically and with urgency. ‘ _Stell is scared of small and dark spaces_!’

“Come on, this is for him—”

‘ _Just let go of the—_ ’

“God, you’re such a— _augh_!”

There was a loud creaking sound. Ken was thrown forward, his entire body weight being hurled straight to the door that was swinging open rapidly. There was a yelp, Ken tumbled, and then he was caught by a very infuriated Sejun.

The barista held Ken by the shoulder, eyes burning with anger. Justin was scared at the mere sight of him pushing Ken so he stood up on his feet. Somewhere from inside the room, Stell was whispering Sejun’s name.

“Do you think that was funny?” Sejun began, taking a slow step forward closer to Ken. Ken stepped back, nervous. “What was that about, huh?”

Justin raised his hands to pacify the angry barista, but Sejun didn’t notice him.

“Have you been _trying_ to annoy me?” he said, taking another step forward. “ _Huh_?”

Ken was slowly backing into the wall, quiet.

“Do you think I don’t know what you’ve been doing the past week?”

Sejun angrily messed up his hair, as if trying to release some of his tension.

“I _know_ you’ve been trying to set me up with Stell.” A low growl seemed to have escaped Sejun’s throat. “Do you know? Do you know how _inconvenient_ that is?”

“Sejun—” Ken started.

“ _Shut it_! I’ve been trying to keep my mouth shut all week but trying to set me up with Stell has been really _annoying_!”

Sejun raised his hand to grab Ken, but he paused when a chuckle came from the staff room.

“It’s been ‘inconvenient’ for you?” said Stell’s voice. There was no denying the hurt that was laced in his tone. “It’s been ‘annoying’?”

Sejun’s eyes widened. Justin watched him turn back around to face Stell as the other barista came out the staff room. Stell’s face was contorted into a look of offence.

“Well, I’m sorry if being set up with me is such a _disgusting_ idea, Sejun!” he said, giving out a tired laugh.

From where Justin was standing, he could see the pain in his friend’s eyes… the same look of helplessness was in them again. Justin couldn’t help but feel guilty for putting Stell in that spot.

“Stell…” Sejun whispered.

Stell looked up, masking his hurt with a confident smirk. He took a deep breath and raised his hand. Then, with a strangled voice, he said, “Early out.”

No one could move. Not Ken with his back pressed against the wall, not Sejun who had his hand up to grab Stell, not Justin who just stood there like a mannequin watching the entire exchange.

Stell willed his long legs to move, walking towards the main door, and out of the café.


	2. saying 'i love you' in sign language

# ***

“ _Woah_! What’s going on?”

Josh came into the café just in time to see Stell hurrying out with his head down. As soon as he walked in, he looked at the three who were clustered around the corner leading to the staff room.

“ _Josh_!” cried Sejun, running towards him and grabbing his shoulder.

“What’s up?”

“Cover for me, okay?”

“What?”

“Close the café,” Sejun said with urgency. “Just— _please_.”

Sejun almost pushed Josh aside. Then, he let his legs fly, running out of the café after Stell.

“What the _heck_ is going on?!” Josh asked. He stood right in the middle of the empty café, waiting for either of the two younger men in the corner to tell him what was happening.

Justin’s lips were pressed into a thin line as he looked at Josh with an unspoken apology in his eyes. As soon as Josh saw it, he understood.

“Wait…” the barista began. “Did… Did you guys still try to set them up?”

Justin swallowed. He started to sign ‘ _We didn’t mean to_ ,’ but he stopped halfway when he realized it wouldn’t justify anything.

Josh heaved a sigh. It was deep and tired, but a little bit hysterical.

“Oh, boy…”

Approaching Justin and placing his hand on Justin’s cheek, he said, “Hey… I know you’re trying to do a good thing, okay? But… maybe trust the process next time?”

Justin blinked at him.

“Come on… Let’s hurry after Stell so you guys can apologize.”

Josh have him a smile. He smiled so handsomely at Justin that it assured him for the moment. The brunette nodded, ignoring scoffing noises Ken was making behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Stell was finding it hard to see past the thick pool of tears that threatened to escape his eyes. He was walking briskly, letting his legs lead him because his brain had shut down at Sejun’s words playing in his head over and over.

_Do you know how inconvenient that is_?

_Trying to set me up with Stell has been really annoying_!

Stell knew. Stell knew he had no chance with Sejun. That was exactly why he didn’t say anything in the first place. Why he was so afraid of the weight three simple words held. But even if he knew, it was still painful to hear Sejun dismiss the idea so strongly.

As if it was the biggest insult he had ever received.

Without even realizing, Stell had arrived at his shared apartment with Josh just before sundown. Stell wiped the tears in his eyes— _stupid Sejun_ , _stupid_!—and fished for his keys in his back pocket. He held it in his trembling hands— _don’t break down in the hallway, Stell_ —and tried to insert the key on the lock.

“ _St-Stell_! Wait!”

Stell fumbled then dropped his keys. With wide eyes, he turned left to see Sejun standing near the stairs to their apartment, hair unkempt, and his hands on his knees. He looked like he was struggling to catch his breath.

_Did he run_? Stell wanted to ask, but he remembered that he didn’t want to see anyone at the moment— _especially_ not Sejun.

Stell hurriedly picked up his keys from the floor and unlocked the door to his unit.

“I said ‘ _wait_ ’!”

Sejun was beside him in an instant. He held out one long arm to block Stell from going inside the door.

“What do you want?” Stell asked him. His voice didn’t break, but it was a close thing.

Sejun licked his lips. “Look, I—” he was still catching his breath, “—Look, what I said back there… I didn’t… that wasn’t what I meant.”

“You don’t need to explain, Sejun. Just… Please, let me through—”

“No, I mean— _argh_!” Sejun yelped. He put both hands in his hair and grabbed them in frustration. “I don’t know how to say this!”

“Can we talk later—”

“Stell!” Sejun held on to Stell’s shoulders tightly. Then, all of a sudden, he said, “ _I like you_!”

A pregnant pause ensued.

There was a ringing in Stell’s ears that he didn’t notice until a few seconds into just gaping at the man in front of him. Sejun still had his hands on his shoulders, eyebrows furrowed in the middle, looking intensely at Stell.

“What… did you just say?”

“I said… I like you.”

“Like… _as a friend_?”

“ _Argh_ , no!” Sejun cried again. He threw his hands in the air. “Like… _as a potential partner_! Like, I’m gay for you! Like, I can totally see myself dating you and all that romantic whatnot!”

Stell just blinked at Sejun as he ranted in their hallway. Two of Stell’s neighbors peeked out from their doors to eavesdrop, but immediately hid back again when they saw it wasn’t a fistfight.

Stell just kept staring, savoring the words that Sejun shouted at him.

“You… like _me_?”

“How many times am I supposed to say it?” Sejun hissed, blushing to the roots of his hair. “Yes! Yes!”

Stell leaned back. “Why do you sound mad?”

“I’m _not_!” he replied. “I just—I’m not… _good_ … at expressing myself, alright? And I’m not… good at skinship, so… I didn’t think I’d be a good match with you… Then _those two_ had to get involved, and now… _Argh_!”

That was perhaps the most expressive Stell has seen the usually stoic-faced barista. Sure, Sejun smiled at the customers or yelled at Stell and Josh whenever they got things wrong. But Sejun was always closed-off and aloof. It was one of the charms that endeared him to Stell.

Now, as Stell watched him struggle to get the words out of his mouth, watched him mumble complains under his breath as he blushed, watched him try to avoid Stell’s gaze but finding himself looking anyway… realization slowly dawned on the younger barista.

Stell could feel the small traces of a smile creeping up his own lips.

Sejun breathed in once. Then, he turned to face Stell and said, “Look… Sorry if I said something stupid back at the café. I just… _don’t_ like it when people get in my business. But… I’m serious, okay? I like you. And… I might not be showy or touchy but… I don’t know how I’m going to prove it, but… Yeah, you should just believe me when I say I like you.”

“That’s more words than you’ve said this entire month.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not.”

“W-Well, not everyone is as articulate as you.”

Stell gave Sejun the warmest smile he could manage. Maybe it was just him, but when Sejun saw it, he blushed even deeper.

“Can I hug you?”

Sejun flinched. Then, looking away, he nodded.

Stell’s smile grew wider. He opened his arms so he could take Sejun in them. The other stood very still as Stell approached, but he made no move to avoid the contact.

Stell wrapped Sejun in his warmth. Sejun’s heartbeat was so loud, he could feel it against his chest. Stell didn’t mind; his was, too. And, although Sejun made no motions to hug him back, he rested his forehead on Stell’s shoulder.

They had been that way for only a second when Stell saw peeking through the corner three mops of hair. Looking more closely, he could see Josh, Ken, and Justin eavesdropping. They were trying to be stealthy but failed miserably under Stell’s watchful gaze.

The warmth in Stell’s eyes turned menacing as he glared at them. He deftly moved his fingers to give them a shooing motion— _go away_.

Stell closed his eyes, holding Sejun tighter. _They had better gone away_ , he thought. Because that little bubble he had with Sejun was not something he wanted to share with anyone at the moment.

* * *

Josh, Ken, and Sejun walked back in silence. None of three commented on what just happened. They were just as quiet as the nonverbal with them, just thinking.

“What d’you know,” Ken said in disbelief once they arrived at the café. “There really _is_ a way to say things even when you don’t know how to say them.”

Justin looked at his friend, who rolled his eyes but gave him an encouraging smile.

“Well, I’m out!” Ken announced, grabbing the bag he left at the café. “Justin, home before nine, okay?”

Justin just smiled at him and waved goodbye.

“What’s with him?” Josh asked, hands on his waist as he stared at Ken walking away. “Seriously, why is he like that?”

Josh gave Justin a bright, dimply smile. There was pride in his eyes, and Justin held his gaze like he was hearing a lot from just the way he stared. Josh nudged Justin’s cheek with the back of his hand. Then, he walked back to the counter, wiping the surface, and beginning to clean up.

Just watching him, Justin remembered how much of an amazing person Josh was. No words, especially not from a nonverbal, could sum up just how inspiring he is. He was hardworking, gentle, smart; but he was humble, simple, and content with even the smallest blessings in life. As a ‘not-boyfriend’ as Ken would call him, he was patient, tender, and understanding of what Justin did not and _could not_ say.

Because Justin is incapable of speaking, he held words in high regard. He knew they were special, and the ability to utter them should not be taken for granted. Seeing Stell and Sejun silently pine for each other reminded him of that. He wondered what would have happened if one of them just took a risk, kept himself from holding his tongue. Would things have panned out better if one of them spoke?

And then he thought about himself. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to Josh. He wanted to tell him how much he admired him: from the way he smiled to the way he made Justin’s breath hitch when they hold hands. The words he kept to himself—these precious gifts—he wanted to give it to the man. Justin wanted to let him know; not just feel and assume, in much the same way Stell and Sejun’s words had tiptoed around each other.

So, no, Justin decided. He wanted to be braver.

In his own way, that is.

“Hmm? What’s up?” Josh turned when Justin grabbed the hem of his shirt shyly. He paused halfway through cleaning the espresso machine.

Justin raised a marker and his sketchbook to Josh. It was the same sketchbook he kept from the barista, as it contained hundreds of sketches, drawings, and doodles Justin made of the man.

Josh chuckled. “What are you doing?”

Justin just smiled sheepishly before he opened the sketchbook, flipping through its pages.

He opened it to a page he drew months ago. It was a quick sketch of Josh manning the counter. In that picture, the barista was leaning with his nose almost touching the counter as he tried to wipe it clean. Justin drew a large black line under the caption at the bottom which said, ‘ _He does even the menial tasks with dedication ^_^_ ’.

Josh stared at the drawing in shock. “Is that… _me_?”

Justin nodded.

Then, he flipped it to another page where he drew Josh napping inside the staff room one time when he was sick but still went to work. ‘ _Josh works so hard, I feel like I’m not giving my 100% yet._ ’

“Now _that’s_ an exaggeration,” Josh chuckled when Justin pointed to the words at the bottom of the page. Justin shook his head to disagree.

“Justin… I’m not the great person. _You_ are,” Josh pushed the hair on his fringe away. “You have a handicap, but it doesn’t stop you from being expressive. You know that’s beautiful, right?”

Justin just gave him a shy grin and then shrugged. Then he wrote, ‘ _There’re lots of things I don’t know how to do_.’

“Like what?”

Justin thought for a minute. ‘ _I can’t make coffee_.’

“Then, I’ll teach you! I’m sure _you_ can do _anything_ when you put your mind into it.” Josh laughed. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, alright?”

Justin just scrunched his nose as he smiled. Then, he turned the pages to the drawing he made a few days ago, of Josh pouring over his books and his readings. Justin drew several black lines on the words to emphasize them: ‘ _You inspire me_.’

He scribbled some more before showing it to Josh, ‘ _Seeing you makes me want to be a better person_.’

Justin took a deep breath. Then, he used his free hand to sign the first sign Josh had shown him months ago: ‘ _I like you, romantically_.’

Josh was taken aback, blushing deeper than Justin had ever seen him before. He paused to cover his mouth with one hand. Then he looked at Justin through narrow eyes.

“You are… _really_ … something else.”

Satisfied, Justin only smiled in reply.

* * *

“Justin, two iced americanos, large. One cream cheese oreo milk tea, medium. All 25% sugar,” Stell called from the counter.

Justin looked over his shoulder and gave him an ‘okay’ sign.

It was a busy day at the café. Well, the café had been busy everyday right after Justin began as barista a little over two months ago. He could say that it was challenging with only a few people working the shifts, but he enjoyed every bit of it.

Being Josh’s replacement was a surprising turn in Justin’s life. He didn’t think it was possible for someone like him to be given a job in the first place. Yet, Josh, Sejun, and Stell all vouched for him. Now, there he was, creating concoctions he had not known how to do before.

His work was fun. The workmates and the customers were nice, and the café was livelier after he took over the post. Stell kept teasing him that it was because half their female customers were there to see him. Justin always thought it was because they had a new lunch menu. Nevertheless, his life became more colorful for the past two months, and he had a renewed sense of confidence from being able to work despite his handicap.

“Hi, Justin!” said two girls in front of Stell.

They were university students who recently became regulars at the café. They waved at Justin, and he cheerfully returned it before he went back to making his orders.

Justin grabbed the sugar syrup bottle from their stash. Seeing that it was already almost empty, Justin approached Stell, tugging at the elbow of his uniform.

‘ _We’re out of sugar syrup_ ,’ he signed.

“Oh. Can you take out a new batch from the stock? I can’t reach the upper shelves,” Stell replied.

Justin nodded. He waved the kind customers goodbye again before he made his way to the stockroom.

The sugar syrup stocks were placed higher than the others so he was usually the one who took them out. Justin liked to think that this was one thing he could do better than the others: reaching higher up the shelves.

“Hm… Looks like you’re enjoying being the barista too much?”

Justin looked at the doorway. He was already smiling without seeing the speaker. He didn’t need to. He knew that voice anywhere.

His ‘ _now-boyfriend_ ’ stood, leaning on the doorframe, with his arms crossed over his chest. Josh still had his messenger bag slung over one shoulder and it looked like he had just gotten to the café from the university.

Justin put the small box to the floor, smiling widely. ‘ _I’m having lots of fun_.’

“I’d say,” Josh said, closing the door behind him. “You’ve charmed half the university’s female population!”

Justin had no retort to that, so he just scratched his cheek as he chuckled awkwardly.

“I’m proud of you, Jah,” he said, smiling a warm smile. Justin smiled back at him, his heart fluttering in his chest at the mere gesture. “Just… lay off the charms a little bit, okay? Can’t have more women swooning over you.”

Josh approached, reached up, then pecked Justin’s lips. The barista froze.

“I’ll wait for your shift to finish…”

Josh smiled then walked out.

Heat exploded in Justin’s face, a delayed reaction to what his boyfriend just did. He blinked once… twice… When his heartbeat did not steady at all, he just squat on the floor with his face on his knees, breathing.

Yes, his life became more colorful for the past two months. He couldn’t complain… some things were going to take some getting used to, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you are all beautiful. every single part of you.

**Author's Note:**

> this has been stuck in my WIPs forever!!! i just want to finish it so i won’t have any hung-ups!


End file.
